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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22515763">The end that turned out to be a new beginning</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/BadWolf_TimeAndSpace/pseuds/BadWolf_TimeAndSpace'>BadWolf_TimeAndSpace</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Supergirl (TV 2015)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst with a Happy Ending, Don't copy to another site, F/F, Lena too, One Shot, Or maybe that's just me, Supercorp endgame, even if it looks like it no one dies, kara has a flair for the dramatic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 10:20:28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,711</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22515763</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/BadWolf_TimeAndSpace/pseuds/BadWolf_TimeAndSpace</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>~</p><p>This is how Kara fights for Lena's soul, and (love) wins. </p><p> </p><p>~</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>190</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The end that turned out to be a new beginning</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi everyone, I haven't posted anything in over a year, and so my writing is a bit rough around the edges. I hope you'll enjoy reading this anyway. </p><p>This is kind of canon-compliant and takes place in the future, probably at the end of season 5. I just wanted to write my idea for what it may take for Kara to finally get through to Lena. As for context, imagine them being out on a DEO/Luthorcorp mission that went awry.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>So this is it. This is the end. This is how she’s going to die.</p><p>The thought makes her stomach drop and her body go still. Only seconds ago she was fighting for her life, frantically searching for a way to keep the broken spaceship on course. She almost made it to the portal that would have brought her back into their earth’s solar system. But then the monitor screen in the control room showed her the portal collapsing in on itself barely a second after the escape pod had made it through.</p><p>Now only the vast emptiness of space and the faint light of the red sun are left. Her fight is over.</p><p>She lets herself slip down to the ground. The coldness of the floor is almost a welcomed relief from the heat surrounding her. She wonders how long it’ll take for the fire to reach the control room, but then she realizes it doesn’t matter. She’ll run out of oxygen long before that. The big screen on the wall in front of her informs her about the accumulating system failures.</p><p>Her life will fade out to the symphony of alarm signals and the distant sounds of creaking metal being deformed and bend and broken by the heat of the furious fire.</p><p>Breathing becomes harder by the second, and the monitor screen lets her know that the oxygen levels are declining rapidly.</p><p>
  <strong>Only four minutes left. </strong>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>There have been many times that she came close to death, a helicopter crash, more than one assassination attempt, a fall from the balcony of a skyscraper, the list goes on. She thought she was somehow prepared to die, the prospect of her death nothing new to her. But then she thought dying would be fast, would happen in a split second, like with a bullet to the head or in an explosion, not lasting four minutes. Lots of time to think.</p><p>Four minutes that can feel like an eternity when waiting for death, and still not enough time to do anything about it.</p><p>She feels her breathing become frantic and her heart beating rapidly in her chest as fear takes over. Her fight or flight response making a comeback, her body and sub consciousness seemingly not ready to give up yet. Her brilliant mind though has already run through all the options multiple times in the last minute and there simply is none. Nothing to do, her death inevitable. </p><p>She wills herself to concentrate on breathing in and out, her back pressed against the metal wall behind her, knees pulled to her chest, arms wrapped around her legs.</p><p>At least the others made it out.</p><p>When the bomb exploded, Kara, Alex and Brainy were on the other side of the ship and therefore had a clear path to the escape pod. Lena’s way was cut off, she barely managed to reach the control room. Over their ear pieces she heard the others argue about how to proceed. Kara insisted on trying to reach Lena while Alex and Brainy, who must have calculated the possibilities and risks, were in favor of going to the escape pod. Lena could tell that Kara had almost convinced them, so she did what she had to do in order to save the people who were her friends once. She activated her communication device and told them to go to the pod while she would navigate the ship through the portal and once they were back in the orbit of the yellow sun, Supergirl could come and get her. Brainy was obviously about to protest, knowing that the ship’s system was too damaged to work, but Lena cut him off with an urgent “please, there’s no time to argue”.</p><p>Thinking about Kara elicits a surge of anger and pain and guilt, these feelings now familiar when it comes to her former best friend. To Lena’s surprise though, they are overpowered by a new feeling, regret. Dying without the chance of reconciling with Kara somehow makes everything worse. She hasn’t thought she even wanted to reconcile with her friend, she thought she had cut the Kryptonian out of her life forever. After all Kara had betrayed her trust, and Lena could never trust her again, just like everyone else.</p><p>Apparently though she has lied to herself. And of course the realization that she doesn’t want to let Kara go, that she actually wants a new beginning for their relationship, comes to her on the brink of dying, at the end of her life. She almost laughs at the irony. In hindsight she should have known that there was no way for her to get over Kara.</p><p>
  <strong>Three minutes, twenty-three seconds. </strong>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>It doesn’t matter now. She is going to die and never see Kara again.</p><p>A series of bangs jolts her out of her thoughts. The noise is coming from the left entrance door. She scrambles up to her feet and hurries to the door. There’s another bang and a voice calling for her, but she probably just imagines it in her oxygen-deprived brain. She opens the door with a touch to the key pad anyway and is kind of surprised that the mechanism even works.</p><p>With a creak and a swish the door opens, revealing Supergirl, half covered in soot and dirt, looking at her with a relieved smile on her lips, but a hint of sadness in her eyes.</p><p>Lena’s mouth drops open in shock, no words coming out. Before she can even begin to process what is happening, the woman in front of her takes a step into the room, stumbles and lands in her arms. Lena has half a mind to catch her but not nearly enough strength to hold them both up. Thankfully Kara recovers enough to steady herself and rise up again quickly, but she’s still heavily panting from the exertion.</p><p>The sight of the mighty Supergirl struggling to breathe like this brings Lena to a horrific realization. Bile rising in her throat, she pushes Kara away from her to gain more distance between them. She can’t do this with the other woman so close.</p><p>“What the hell are you doing here?”</p><p>Kara’s smile turns into a small frown, “Are you mad at me?”</p><p>“Mad? I’m furious! What were you thinking?” Lena would have screamed at her, but the smoke of the fire outside is slowly seeping into the control room and the air is so thin that her words come out scratchy and barely loud enough to hear over the noise of the alarms.</p><p>
  <strong>Two minutes and fifty-eight seconds. </strong>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>“I couldn’t leave you behind. I told Brainy and Alex I would get into the escape pod because they would have never let me stay. I was behind them and when they were inside I closed the door and activated the release mechanism for the pod. Then I made my way here – which, sorry it took so long, but the ship is basically falling apart and…”</p><p>“You idiot!” Lena interrupts her, “don’t you know that you are going to die here too! You can’t save me, you can’t even save yourself now. You have no powers here under the red sun. All you have achieved is that we both die instead of only me.”</p><p>“I know. Brainy told me the odds.”</p><p>Kara’s calmness about the situation is inconceivable to Lena and in her opinion completely out of place. They are both going to die for fuck’s sake. KARA is going to die.</p><p>“You knew? You stayed on this ship knowing there’s no chance.” Lena asks incredulously.</p><p>“Yes.”</p><p>Lena feels her anger and frustration rising to a new level, not ready to admit yet that it is fueled by fear for Kara. This time she manages to scream, “What have you done? What is wrong with you? Why did you stay?”</p><p>Kara recoils a bit before standing her ground. She speaks softly, but firmly, “Lena, I… I couldn’t bear the thought that you would die alone, thinking that you have no friends and no one who cares about you, no one who loves you. I know what I did to you was wrong and that I should have told you sooner. It was the biggest mistake of my life. But our friendship was never a lie and I need you to know that. I need you to know that you’re not alone in this world. And if it takes me to be here with you when you take your last breath, then that’s what I’ll do.”</p><p>“Why? Why is this so important to you?” Lena doesn’t understand. How can this be what Kara deems worth dying for?</p><p>“Because you are important to me”, Kara states like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. But to Lena it isn’t. It’s the one thing she once believed with her whole heart, before the big reveal crushed this belief and with it her heart. And without it she has been left alone in the dark, convinced that all people were liars, that she has never been important to anyone and never will be.</p><p>“More important than your life?”</p><p>“Yes, so important that I’d give my life for you.”</p><p>“But we are both going to die!”</p><p>“Then be it. I don’t want to live without you anyway.” Kara steps closer and takes her hand in hers.</p><p> “Why?”</p><p>“Because I love you.”</p><p>“Kara.” She shakes her head, hardly able to believe what she’s hearing.</p><p>“No, hear me out!”</p><p>“Well, you have two minutes and three seconds.” Lena says with a glance to the countdown.</p><p>Kara steps closer, lifting her free hand and slowly traces her fingertips over Lena’s brow before caressing her cheek.</p><p>“Lena, I’ve been in love with you for a long time, probably from the moment we met. But it took me losing your trust and your friendship to finally admit that to myself. By then it was too late to tell you of course, but I never gave up on you - on us. I thought if I just somehow show you that I’m trustworthy, that I’m your friend, then with time I would get through to you. Today though time is running out, and I can’t let you die without knowing what you mean to me. I just can’t. Being with you is the only place I want to be.”</p><p>Her words and actions almost completely dismantle Lena, stripping away her anger and despair, replacing it with forgiveness and hope, till every bit of pain over Kara’s betrayal has left her.</p><p>Kara brushes tears away with her thumb, Lena only now realizing that she’s been crying. It seems like the emotions inside just needed a way to spill out. She leans into Kara’s touch, and stepping forward, presses her body into Kara’s. The other woman’s blue eyes are open and soft, full of love and care, and Lena is sure no one but Kara has ever looked at her like that, no one else has ever really seen her. And the thing that hits her is that Kara has always looked at her like that.</p><p>Closing her eyes she brings their lips together, softly at first, just a small touch. She feels Kara smile against her lips and can’t help but chuckle. Her laugh turns into a sob though and breaking the kiss, Lena gasps for air, reminded again of their situation and the dwindling oxygen.</p><p>Before she can retreat fully, Kara captures her mouth in a kiss again, this time pressing in harder, more urgent. Her lips taste like salt and ashes, but it’s still the best kiss Lena has ever received. She deepens the kiss, and for a moment Lena’s world only consists of Kara.</p><p>Like everything good, the moment comes to an end though, and when Lena opens her eyes she sees not only Kara’s blissful expression and parted lips, but also from the corner of her eye the countdown on the screen.</p><p>
  <strong>Time till the oxygen runs out: forty-six seconds. </strong>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>She tries her best to disregard it. She wants to spend the last seconds of her life fully concentrating on the woman that she loves. And as she thinks it, she knows she has to say it or she’ll forever regret it.</p><p>“I love you, too.” Lena whispers gently, and can’t help but smile when Kara’s eyes open instantly, beaming with happiness.</p><p>A coughing fit interrupts them and Lena’s legs give in. They sink together to the ground, never letting go of one another. It seems the air is a bit better down here, at least there is less smoke. So the coughing stops and Lena manages to get her breathing under control once more.</p><p>She notices that she sits in Kara’s lap, somehow she feels safe in her lover’s embrace even in their dire situation.</p><p>She can’t see the countdown anymore, but she knows it’s almost over. Kara’s chest is moving against her own, struggling to pull in air.</p><p>Lena wants to tell Kara that she forgives her, that she is sorry for what she had done, that she wishes they had more time to fully mend their relationship and to explore this new romantic site of it. Most of all she wishes she just had more time with Kara.</p><p>She can’t get a word out though. The darkness is already closing in from the corner of her eyes.</p><p>“Shh, it’s ok, my love. It’s ok. I got you.” Kara whispers in her ear over and over again, hugging her closer to her chest. Lena feels her own grip grow weaker, she struggles to hold on just a little bit longer. One more breath and another one, breathing in Kara’s scent, Kara’s taste still lingering on her tongue, Kara’s warmth engulfing her. Maybe if she can just take Kara in, they will be together even in death, together forever.</p><p>
  <strong>Unseen, on the screen the countdown strikes zero.</strong>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“Lena, Lena!”</p><p>With a gasp Lena comes back to life. Her lungs are burning and immediately she starts coughing furiously. It takes a moment before she realizes there is actual air to breathe. Taking in large gulps of it, she looks around, trying to orientate herself.</p><p>She is in a bright white room that contains what looks like modern, partly futuristic, medical equipment. Her curiosity is quickly forgotten though when she sees Kara sitting next to her, smiling at her.</p><p>“Hey,” the blonde says gently, “welcome back.”</p><p>“Kara? What-what happened?” She knows this isn’t the afterlife, but who can blame her if the thought crossed her mind?</p><p>“You’re ok. We both are. It was close, but fortunately I have friends who can travel through space and time with a thing called time courier, a device that looks like a wristwatch and… anyway, with some programming and his own brand of magic Brainy was able to send out a distress signal from the escape pod to them. They picked us up. We are in the med bay of their ship, the waverider.”</p><p>“Welcome on board, Lena Luthor.” A female voice sounds from above.</p><p>“That’s Gideon, the timeship’s AI.” Kara explains.</p><p>“Kara Zor-El, do you want me to inform Captain Lance that you are both conscious?”</p><p>“No, not yet. Please, give us a minute alone.”</p><p>“As you wish.”</p><p>Kara has kept her eyes on her the whole time, but now her gaze intensifies and Lena can only guess that she’s using her x-ray vision to scan her and make sure she’s fine. Seemingly satisfied with what she sees, Kara looks her in the eyes again, her features immediately softening.</p><p>“Hey, again.” It’s endearing how Kara is suddenly a bit shy, as if she isn’t sure about what to expect from Lena, as if they didn’t just almost die in each other’s arms after professing their love for each other. </p><p>It makes Lena want to kiss her.</p><p>So she does. She reaches out, grabs Kara’s shirt and pulls her closer. A surprised, little squeak leaves Kara’s mouth before their lips meet and it turns into a happy hum, causing Lena to smile into the kiss.</p><p>They have a lot to talk about, a lot to process, but Lena knows they’ll be ok. This is their second chance, and they are going to make the most of it.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>~</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Let me know what you think. :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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